35 Surprising Cities with Low Living Costs

No matter your income level or income, Americans have experienced the recent rise in inflation’s impact on the cost of goods and services that they regularly purchase. If you find yourself struggling to make ends meets, your location can play an important role. If you live in an area where living costs are high, it can be difficult to stretch a large paycheck enough to cover your basic needs. It might be time to move to a place that’s more affordable.

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GOBankingRates compared living costs in 150 large U.S. towns to determine the top 35 cities where it is most affordable to live. As a guideline the 50/30/20 budgeting rules was used. 50% of income is to pay for necessities, 30% for discretionary purchases, and 20% for savings. Rent, food, utilities, transport and healthcare are all essential. GOBankingRates then doubled the costs of essentials to obtain the total income required.

Keep reading to see how much money you need to live comfortably in these U.S. cities.

35. Aurora, Illinois

• The total annual cost of living $29,154.56

• An annual income is required: $58,309.13

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34. Chattanooga in Tennessee

• The total annual cost of living $29,110.77

• An annual income is required: $58,221.54

33. Kansas City, Missouri

• The total annual cost of living $28,873.02

• An annual income is required: $57,746.05

32. Columbus, Ohio

• The total annual cost of living $28,866.75

• An annual income is required: $57,733.49

31. Cincinnati, Ohio

• The total annual cost of living $28,558.75

• An annual income is required: $57,117.50

30. Corpus Christi, Texas

• The total annual cost of living $27,983.98

• An annual income is required: $55,967.97

29. Oklahoma City

• The total annual cost of living $27,801.17

• An annual income is required: $55,602.34

28. Indianapolis

• The total annual cost of living $27,671.95

• An annual income is required: $55,343.90

27. Milwaukee

• The total annual cost of living $27,426.58

• An annual income is required: $54,853.16

26. Mobile, Alabama

• The total annual cost of living $27,272.03

• An annual income is required: $54,544.06

25. Greensboro, North Carolina

• The total annual cost of living $27,228.76

• An annual income is required: $54,457.51

24. Laredo, Texas

• The total annual cost of living $27,228.76

• An annual income is required: $54,457.51

23. Winston-Salem North Carolina

• The total annual cost of living $26,913.65

• An annual income is required: $53,827.30

22. Lubbock Texas

• The total annual cost of living $26,896.00

• An annual income is required: $53,791.99

21. Wichita, Kansas

• The total annual cost of living $26,850.45

• An annual income is required: $53,700.90

20. St. Louis

• The total annual cost of living $26,810.56

• An annual income is required: $53,621.12

19. El Paso, Texas

• The total annual cost of living $26,782.30

• An annual income is required: $53,564.59

18. Tulsa, Oklahoma

• The total annual cost of living $26,603.23

• An annual income is required: $53,206.46

17. Fayetteville, North Carolina

• The total annual cost of living $26,579.74

• An annual income is required: $53,159.48

16. Rochester, New York

• The total annual cost of living $26,438.91

• An annual income is required: $52,877.82

15. Fort Wayne, Indiana

• The total annual cost of living $26,388.64

• An annual income is required: $52,777.27

14. Des Moines, Iowa

• The total annual cost of living $26,322.87

• An annual income is required: $52,645.75

13. Little Rock, Arkansas

• The total annual cost of living $26,203.00

• An annual income is required: $52,406.00

12. Detroit

• The total annual cost of living $26,174.91

• An annual income is required: $52,349.83

11. Augusta, Georgia

• The total annual cost of living $25,861.85

• An annual income is required: $51,723.71

10. Amarillo Texas

• The total annual cost of living $25,694.05

• An annual income is required: $51,388.10

9. Montgomery, Alabama

• The total annual cost of living $25,372.99

• An annual income is required: $50,745.98

8. Memphis, Tennessee

• The total annual cost of living $25,241.81

• An annual income is required: $50,483.63

7. Columbus, Georgia

• The total annual cost of living $25,117.72

• An annual income is required: $50,235.43

6. Brownsville, Texas

• The total annual cost of living $24,678.68

• An annual income is required: $49,357.37

5. Birmingham, Alabama

• The total annual cost of living $24,439.12

• An annual income is required: $48,878.25

4. Shreveport (Lawrence)

• The total annual cost of living $24,373.68

• An annual income is required: $48,747.35

3. Toledo, Ohio

• The total annual cost of living $22,308.57

• An annual income is required: $44,617.14

2. Cleveland

• The total annual cost of living $21,710.15

• An annual income is required: $43,420.29

1. Akron, Ohio

• The total annual cost of living $21,631.90

• An annual income is required: $43,263.79

Cameron Huddleston, Grace Lin  Sydney Champion Contributed to the reporting of this article.

Methodology: GoBankingRates looked at the 150 largest American cities based on their population. The data was taken from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey. First, GOBankingRates referenced the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey data  to find the amount that a typical consumer unit spends annually on necessities across the following five categories: housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, and transportation. GOBankingRates also used Sperling’s Best Places’ cost-of-living indices to adjust spending estimates for each category in order to reflect local prices. GOBankingRates then doubled the annual estimated cost of necessities for each city to calculate the minimum income required to live comfortably. This was done using the 50/30/20 budgeting rules (which allocates 50% to necessities, 30% to discretionary expenditure, and 20% to savings). The estimated minimum income required to live comfortably was then used to rank cities. 1. The city with the lowest average cost of living. All data were collected and are up-to-date as of November 30, 2022.

This article first appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 35 Surprising Cities With Low Costs of Living